Determinism

Evaluation

Determinism is consistent with the aims of science and places psychology on equal footing with other sciences. The prediction and control of human behaviour has led to the development of treatments and behavioural interventions that have benefited many, especially those suffering from illnesses such as schizophrenia However, the hard deterministic stance, the idea that individual choice is not the cause of behaviour, is not consistent with how our legal system operates; in court the offender is held morally accountable for their offence. As well as this, determinism as an approach is unfalsifiable, it is based on the idea that causes of behaviour will always exist even if they have not been found yet; as a basic principle this is impossible to prove wrong. It would appear that determinism is not as scientific as first thought.